Madam Cen was puzzled. “With the emperor, the Empress, and your senior brother, Master Weng backing him, how can he be in danger?”

Elder Cen sighed. “The emperor, Empress, and my senior brother are not the only ones in the court. This tea and wine business alone must have attracted the attention of the Marquis of Hengyuan. Behind Kangning and Kangchen, there is also that troublesome house that has had court officials in the court since the late emperor. There are also many rivalries between families starting from the old generation. No matter how wonderful Yunan is, he is just a farmer. No one would care about his life or death.”

Madam Cen also started to become worried, “You mean Yunan might be in danger?”

Elder Cen said, “No. It’s just that I’m afraid it will be troublesome in the future. I should write another letter to my senior brother. I have never met a youngster like Yunan in my life before. Although I am no longer in court, I still have to do my best to look after him. I really hope that this solid yuan paste can cure the Empress and make him give birth to the Emperor’s heir. Then no one can touch him.”

Madam Cen couldn’t help but wonder, “Is that solid yuan paste really that amazing?” Elder Cen said, “I hope so. Yunan is also making it for us. This solid paste should be soaked in yellow wine for at least ten days. The ones he had in his hands were all given to the Empress first, so you and I have to wait for a few more days.”

Madam Cen was relieved. “Yunan and Shijing are people who know how to be considerate.” Elder Cen laughed and said, “Haha he even told Kangning that he wants him to become his backer. He told me that he would show filial piety to me and asked me to send Wang Qing to the imperial Academy in the future. This little fox is flattering.” 

After the smile on his face disappeared, Elder Cen sighed. “If the Empress can conceive a child, the Emperor will trust Yunan even more and become his biggest backer.” Turning his head to his wife, Elder Cen solemnly said, “You should teach Nizi more etiquette and let her practice the zither well. Whether it’s Qing or Nizi, both must know etiquette very well.” Seeing that her husband was so cautious, Madam Cen also became more cautious and nodded her head in response.

If Shao Yunan knew that Elder Cen was worried about him, he would have been moved and hugged Elder Cen even harder. He said every day that he wanted Jiang Kangning to be his backer and that he wanted Elder Cen to send Wang Qing to the Imperial Academy one day, so he had to send more gifts and hold on to his thighs. But in reality, as a lonely person who had transmigrated to ancient times, thousands of years before his time without any relatives, he had no reason to not try to find new friends and relatives for himself. Elder Cen coming with his wife to celebrate the New Year with them made him very happy.

The next day, Wang Shijing’s family woke up as usual. Elder Cen and Madam Cen also woke up early. Sleeping so well the night before, they didn’t know if it was because of using their brains all day, but Guo Zimu and Guo Ziyu also got up early. Guo Ziyu went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, while Guo Zimu was preparing the New Year’s gift that Wang Shijing was going to bring today. Not to mention, with Guo Ziyu as the rightful housekeeper, Shao Yunan no longer had to worry so much. Which New Year’s gift is given to each family was followed by a set of very particular rules, so there was no way that Shao Yunan, a modern person would know this.

Elder Cen was at their house, so Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing didn’t need to go to Elder Cen’s house. Breakfast was millet porridge with meat buns and kimchi. After breakfast, Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing went out to pay New Year’s greetings with Qing and Nizi. Elder Cen was already up playing with the Rubik’s Cube again. Madam Cen who watched it, could only helplessly shake her head, worried about her partner’s eyes and neck.

The first stop for the two of them was Zhao Lizheng’s house. Their reaction to the arrival of Wang Shijing’s family could not be anything less than enthusiastic. So enthusiastic in fact, that it gave Shao Yunan a layer of goosebumps. There were many people who came to Zhao Lizheng’s family to pay their respects, many of them clansmen of the Zhao clan. 

Seeing Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan, don’t mention how enthusiastic they are, they also showed a loving attitude to Wang Qing and Nizi. They praised Wang Qing for his good studies and Wang Nizi for getting more and more beautiful. Making the two children ask their Little Father for help, since they have never received such ‘treatment’ before.

But these people were not talking nonsense. Wang Qing, who can go to the White Moon Academy, was already a scholar candidate who could directly get into Imperial College without taking a child student exam. His situation was also different from Zhao Congbo and Wang Yan. Zhao Congbo and Wang Yan basked in Wang Qing’s light. Now Wang Qing was no longer the poor creature who was bullied and had parents, but was almost the same as an orphan. He was now the first son of a rich family that attracted the envy and jealousy of many people, and many families with daughters were already thinking of how to join hands with him through marriage. While Nizi was a person every woman was envious and jealous of.

Nizi wore a bright satin cotton jacket, plus a coat of the same fabric. Her lower body was covered with a silk skirt with draped peach silk satin. Her clothes were just unbelievable. The richest families in the village except for Wang Shijing, like Zhao Lizheng or the Sun family were not able to afford to make such clothes for a child.

After seeing Nizi’s dress, Madam Cen combed Nizi’s hair into two buns, which was the most common hairstyle for little girls. On the two buns were beautiful glazed hairpins and her ears had a pair of green jade and pearl inlaid earrings, with two green jade bracelets on her left wrist. If the villagers did not see Nizi day after day, at first glance they would think that some official lady had come. For a farmer family, it was already a dream for a girl to have a silver bracelet, let alone a more valuable than gold jade bracelet.

Wang Qing and Nizi’s bodies had also changed a lot. At first, there were still a lot of people in the village waiting for the two children of Wang Shijing’s family to have an evil stepfather, with the mentality of watching a good show. But now who didn’t envy these two children? They were happier with their stepfather than with their real mother. 

New Year’s greeting gifts that Guo Ziyu prepared for Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan were not expensive, and the food was made by himself. Wang Shijing’s family was the richest family in the village so if their New Year’s gifts were too expensive how could the other party return the gift? It would be more polite to send some homemade rare food.

After sitting at Zhao Lizheng house for a while they declined the invitation to stay for lunch and Wang Shijing together with Shao Yunan brought their two children to the patriarch Wang Wenhe’s house to pay New Year’s greetings. Since Shao Yunan sent Wang Yan to White Moon Academy, Wang Wenhe’s mentality has changed significantly. He had already been disappointed with old lady Wang and Wang Zhisong before so now seeing Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan it was like seeing his own sons. When the two entered the room, Wang Wenhe’s enthusiasm was definitely on par with Zhao Lizheng.

Wang Wenhe’s wife Wang Shen and his daughter-in-law Wang Qian smiles bloomed when they saw Shao Yunan come in. Wang Wenhe’s married daughter just returned to her parents’ house today and since Wang Shen was very grateful to Shao Yunan for sending their only grandson to White Moon Academy she also dragged her own son and two daughters to kowtow to Shao Yun’an, making Shao Yun’an very embarrassed. Wang Wenhe only daughter was called Wang Jing she was six years older than Wang Shiping and married very early.

Wang Jing gave birth to three children. Her eldest son was called Xu Lin and was already 16 years old and studied at a private school for several years but he stopped his studies after failing to get child student status and getting admitted to the country school so now he was working as an errand boy in the veterinary hospital affiliated to the Yamen to learn some skills. Jing Wang’s husband’s family was a large family that has not yet divided so all uncles and aunts had lived together. The second brother of Wang Jing’s husband Xu Huaili was a scholar. The second brother was also the head of their entire family. Although Xu Huaili was the eldest son, but because of this reason the second brother was the head of the house. Wang Jing in laws also favored their second son family. While eldest son needed to act carefully in his family.

Wang Wenhe was the patriarch, but he was only the patriarch of the Wang clan in Xiushui Village. When Wang Jing got married, she also saw that the Xu family was a big family and Xu Huaili was the eldest son who was honest. But, 18 years later, Xu Huaili not only failed to take charge of the family but Wang Jing as the eldest sister-in-law had to give a face to her younger sister-in-law while her three children at home had to put up with their cousins everywhere. Xu Lin liked veterinarians since he was a child and found a job in a veterinary hospital on his own which make everyone laugh at him due to that.

Wang Yan getting admitted to White Moon Academy and being personally taught by Dean Cen… Although it was thanks to Wang Qing’s blessing, it was a great event for Wang Wenhe and his family, including Wang Jing, who had been suffering every day in her husband’s family. Now she also had something to be proud off. After this incident spread to her husband’s family, Wang Jing status in her husband’s family also become somewhat higher. The second sister-in-law who was usually acting very imposing toward now acted much milder. Even the master of the Xu family, although he had studied in the county school and met elder Cen a few times he didn’t have a big enough face to make dean Cen look at him differently. In the past with the opportunity of following someone else he was able to give dean Cen some gifts during the New Year’s holiday, taking this opportunity to exchange few words with him.

But after Wang Yan got admitted into White Moon Academy opened by elder Cen, the scholar’s words showed that he wanted to get acquainted with elder Cen through Wang Jing’s relationship. In today’s terms dean Cen was very important person in the education field, and even more important in the education community of Yongxiu Province. Although the scholar had passed the examination and got an appointment as a small official in Yamen because he had no background he was thrown out within two years. But if he could get into the eyes of dean Cen and speak with him he would naturally gain a great benefit. Not to mention that scholar’s second brother, Wang Jing’s in-laws, including her parents-in-law were also interested in it. Her mother-in-law made it clear to her before she went back to meet her parents, that she should make an effort, after all she was also a part of their Xu family.

But Wang Jing was not stupid, let alone her her younger brother Wang Shuping who didn’t have such a big face to go through Shao Yunan to Dean Cen. Wang Jing told Wang Shuping what her brother in law meant and  Wang Shuping directly told her to not even think about it. What the Xu family wants, let them figure it out for themselves. If they did, let alone what Shao Yunan thought of them, elder Cen would definitely have something against their Wang family or even Wang Yan. Now nothing was as important as Wang Yan’s future. If Wang Yan future was secure would Wang Jing still be afraid of having no position in her husband’s family?

Wang Shuping also did not hide this matter from Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan. When the two were about to leave for New Year’s greetings at another home, Wang Shuping told Wang Shijing all about it in private. Wang Jing wouldn’t help the Xu family second son speaking up about it, but there was no guarantee that the Xu family wouldn’t rely even on such a small relationship to rely on Shao Yunan friendship.

Shao Yunan appreciated Wang Shuping’s frankness. Leaving Wang Wenhe’s house, Shao Yunan asked Wang Shijing: “Want to help?”

Wang Shijing replied without thinking: “It doesn’t matter. If you help only more people will come looking for you. We can’t make trouble for elder Cen.”

“I will listen to you.”

Of course Shao Yunan thought so too, but since Wang Shijing was the head of the family he should also respect his opinion.

Afterward, the husband’s duo took their children to the homes of several elders in the clan, as well as those who were good friends with them, including fourth aunt Wang and  Uncle Yinzi’s homes. When they went, they brought a lot of New Year’s gifts, and when they came back, they only carried even more. Those who got the direct or indirect benefit from them were all very grateful, and those who did not still wanted to carry favor with them. Only when it was almost time for lunch they returned home.

But even from distance they saw several carriages in front of their house. Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan looked at each other — and quickened their pace. Shao Yunan said: “Brother Qing, Nizi. You run back first. Tell the guests that we will be home soon.”

Both Wang Qing and Nizi ran home hand in hand.

Edited by: Jaisland

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